Prisoner given privilege of training rescue dog ‘battered the animal to death’
A prisoner granted the privilege of training a rescue dog ended up battering the poor animal to death, police say.
Benjamin Holliday allegedly bludgeoned the German shepherd-mix, called Evie, killing her with a blow to the stomach that also made her liver bleed, and damaged her kidney.
Holliday, who was serving time at the Warren County Correctional Institution in Ohio, will appear in court Monday over the August 2018 killing.
He is said to have attacked Evie in his prison cell after being allowed to participate in a program intended to train rescue dogs for potential owners.
The same program was intended to help prisoners develop empathy and compassion in a bid to minimize the chances of them re-offending after they are released.
Animal rescue charity Joseph’s Legacy called an immediate halt to the scheme after Evie’s death.
President Meg Melampy told the Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘We shut it down for us.
‘We will never do it again because we’d be stupid to.
‘You know, you hit us once, okay. You’ll never get us again.’
Animal lovers have shown up in court for every one of Holliday’s hearings, and say they will continue to do so until justice is served.
The alleged dog killer, who has been transferred to a different prison, was serving nine years, 11 months behind bars after being convicted of robbery and burglary.
He now faces animal cruelty charges – and a further stretch behind bars if convicted.